Container



Aug., 31, 1937. H. l.. DE LlsLE CONTAINER Filed Nov. '16, 1955 2sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 3l, 1937.

j ZZ /7 54/ ffy J9 H. L. DE LlsLE 2,091,809

CONTAINER Filed Nov. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 31, 1937UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14 Claims.

y sheet materiall as tracings, blueprints, etc. used in drafting rooms.Such sheet material is usually of large size and the filing and handlingof such material for ready reference with a minimum of diiiiculty andwithout injury to the sheets is a matter of importance.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide unitary meansfor storing the sheets in at condition and for elevating certain of theuppermost sheets for access to sheets lower in the stack, the uppermostsheets being held and clamped in elevated position when desired.

In some aspects the present invention is a specic improvement on theAdevices of my prior Patents No. 1,746,610 issued June 17, 1930, and No.1,924,109gissued August 29, 1933.

The present invention will be readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view showingy themajor part of an illustrative container associated with a cabinet or thelike, a portion of which is shown in section, partsbeing broken away forconvenience;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the structure taken along the line2-2 of Fig. 1 with the parts in normal position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the parts in alternativeposition; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail v1ew.

In the illustrative construction shown in the drawings the container isshown in the form of adrawer I adapted to slide horizontally on runnersI I within the cabinet I 2, the container being shown in Fig. 1 inoutermost or open position,-it being understood that the drawer andparts oi the cabinet not shown are of conventional construction, andneed not be shown. Both the drawer and cabinet are desirably of sheetmetal construction for strength and for re resistance, and the drawerhas a flat bottom I3 Iupon which are stacked the separate flat-lyingsheets I4. The drawerl shown has a front wall I5 and parallel side wallsI6 extending longitudinally.

The side walls I6 are desirably spaced apart a substantially greaterdistance than the width of the sheets I4 so that the sheets are receivedbetween inner walls I'I each spaced a suitably short distance laterallyinwardly of its adjacentl outer wall I6. l

The space between each pair of walls I6, I'I

therefore provides a channel I'Ia in which is received one of the pairsof links and levers for elevating certain of the sheets, the sheetsbeing thus protected from contact with the mechanism along the edges ofthe sheets where they are 5 particularly susceptible to be torn orfrayed.

-A cover element I8 in this instance in the form of a partial closurefor the drawer is carried, as here shown, medially longitudinally of thecontainer on one side of a pair of levers I9, each of 10 which ispivoted to the container as at 20 in one of the channels Ila, brackets2I being secured therein :for this purpose. The cover member I8therefore spans the sheets and since it terminates short of the irontand rear of the drawer the sheets extend both rearwardly and forwardlybeyond this cover member. Thus the forward portions of the sheets may beraised and folded back over the cover member I8 to provide access tosheets lower in the stack. In this instance also I have shown anauxiliary cover member 22 in the form of a section hinged'as at 23 tothe main cover member I8, the section 22 extending almost to the frontwall of the container and near this point having hand-gripping meanssuch 25 as the opening 24 therein for readily raising it. In order thatthe cover section 22 may follow the sheets downwardly regardless of thenumber of sheets in the stack, this section terminates laterally shortof the inner side walls Il permitting it to rest on the bottom I3 whenthere are no sheets in the container. Thus the forward portions of thesheets are normally prevented from curling upwardly and being damagedthereby. 'Ihe inner side walls I'I are also desirably cut out 35 as at25 to permit the main cover element I8 to be received therein in closer`proximity to the sheets in the vicinity of the forward edge of themember I8.

When access is desired to, say, a sheet 26 lying 4o some way down in thestack of sheets I4, the cover section 22 is first folded back over thecover member I 8 and the sheets 21 normally uppermost of the sheet 26are then also folded back over both the section 22 and the cover member45 I 8. The cover member I8 may then be swung upwardly on its pivots 20,leaving the sheet 26 exposed over the greater part of its area so thatit may be readily removed and returned to the drawer in its proper placewithout removing the sheets 2l entirely from the drawer.

My present improved unitary device includes means next described formaintaining the sheets 2l in elevated position and temporarily clampingthem inthat position so that the hands of the operator may be entirelyfree for handling the sheet 26.

In the present embodiment such means includes a pair of bar links 28,each of which is flexibly secured to the container in one of thechannels Ha. In this instance, as best shown in Fig. 4, a link 28 has atits forward end a trunnon pin 29 which may be rigidly secured to thelink and which extends laterally on each side thereof, one end of thistrunnion pin being received in a slot 3U or other runway in the channelHa. The slots 38 as here shown may be formed in a bearing block 3|secured to the inner face of the outer wall I6. ward end of the link hassomewhat in the nature of a lost-motion connection with the drawer, forenhanced exibility. The other end of the trunnion pin 29 which is notreceived in the slot 38 may be extended toward the inner wall Vl'l toguide the pin in the slot and prevent casual displacement from the slotby abutment with the inner wall H upon tendency to displace the pin fromthe slot. The upper end of each of the links 28 is also slotted as at 32and receives therein a headed stud 33 or other pivot member secured tothe cover levers or pivoted supports I9.

In accordance with my invention also, the links 28 are extendedrearwardly as at 34 beyond the rearmost ends of the slots 32 and thusbeyond the cover elements when elevated and desirably when in slightlyrearwardly inclined position as shown in Fig. 3. To these rearwardextensions 34 of the links 28 are secured, transversely of thecontainer, a clamping member such as the cylindrical rod 35. Thus whenthe cover elements are raised as shown in Fig. 3 with the sheets 2lfolded thereover, the free ends of the sheets are frictionally engagedbetween the cover elements and this bar 35, and so are prevented frombeing casually displaced from this elevated position by the weight ofthe sheets themselves or by other accidental means. The inner walls I1are desirably notched as at 36 to receive the rod 35 when in loweredposition as shown in Figs. l and 2.

When access to the sheets has been completed, the cover element may bedropped forwardly, releasing the sheets from the clamping means andcausing them to fall back into position in the drawer with the coverelements I8 and 22 overlying them to hold them smoothly flat. Thereuponthe entire drawer may be pushed rearwardlyminto the cabinet to restoreit to storing position.

It will be apparentv that when the cover element I8 is dropped forwardlyfrom the open position shown in Fig. 3, it will move the links 28forwardly relative to the slots 3l)- while at the same time permittingthe links to dropv with element I8 toward the horizontal. At the sametime or at least when the links 28 reach the end of their forwardmovement relatively to the slots 38, the studs 33 .on the levers i9 willmove forwardly in the elongated slots 32 of the links 28, thus movingthe cover element I8 away from the clamping rod 35 and releasing thesheets 21. The distance between the notch 36 and the forwardend of theslot 30 is just sufcient to permit the rod 35 to be received in thenotch 36 when the trunnion pin 29abuts the forward end of the slot.

vSuch changes may be made as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

Thus the for- 1. A container of the character described for holdingloose sheets in a stack, a cover member pivoted to the container at eachside thereof medially from front to rear and having a main portionterminating short of the front of the container whereby the forwardportions of the sheets maybe folded back thereover, and elevated withthe cover upon movement upwardly of the cover on its pivot, a pair oflinks flexibly connected to the container and the cover to support thecover in position inclined slightly rearwardly of the vertical, and arod carried by the links parallel with the cover and disposedimmediately rearwardly of the cover in its rearwardly inclined position,whereby the said folded back forward portions of the sheets arefrictionally engaged by the rod when the cover is in said l rearwardlyinclined position.

2. The structure of claim l wherein the cover comprises a main portionand a section flexibly connected with said main portion, said sectionbeing adapted to c over the said forward portions of the sheets'when inflat condition and to be folded -back therewith between the main portionand the rod.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a main portionand a section flexibly connected with said main portion, said sectionbeing adapted to cover the said forward portions of the sheets when inflat condition and to be folded back therewith between the main portionand the rod, and wherein the cover members are of sheet metal.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises a main lportionand a section flexibly connected with said main portion, said sectionbeing adapted to lcover the said forward portions of the sheets when inflat condition and to be folded back therewith between the main portionand the rod, and wherein the said section has hand-gripping meansthereon.

5. The structure of claim l wherein the links are slotted and the covercarries headed studs movable in said slots.

6. The structure of claim l wherein the links are -each flexiblyconnected to the container on a movable pivot for limited movementlongitudinally of the container.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein the links are slotted and the covercarries studs movable insaid slots, and wherein the links are eachflexibly connected to the container on a movable pivot for limitedmovement longitudinally of the container. o 8. 'I he structure of claimwhereinvthe container is a drawer of sheet metal and has channelstherein at each side thereof from front to rear, the links being securedin said channels whereby the sheets are ,guarded therefrom.

9.-The .structure of claim 1 wherein the containeris a drawer of sheetmetal and has channels therein at each side thereof from front to rear,the links being securedY in'said channels whereby the sheets are guardedtherefrom, and wherein the drawer contains a slotted block in eachchannel and the links carry pins secured fast thereto and movable in theslots in the blocks, and wherein one of the walls of each channelcooperates to hold the pins of the links in said slots.

10. In a structurev `of the class described a drawer of sheet metalhaving channels therein at each side thereof from front to rear, linksbeing flexibly secured in said channels, a main cover member pivoted tosaid links and to the drawer apart from the links, the inner wall ofeach channel being cut out downwardly to receive the links and saidcover member, and an auxiliary cover member exibly connected to the maincover member and terminating transversely of the container short of saidinner walls.

11. 'Ihe structure of claim 1 wherein the links are flexibly connectedto the container forwardly of the points where the cover is pivoted tothe container.

12. A container of the character described for holding loose sheets in astack, a cover member mounted in the container and pivoted thereto ateach Side only of the container and adapted to swing toward and awayfrom the sheets, said member terminating short of the front and rear ofthe container whereby the forward portions of the sheets may be foldedback thereover and elevated therewith, a pair of links flexiblyconnecting the member and container, and clamping means carried jointlyby the member and links for engaging the portions of the sheets foldedover the member.

13. In a container of the character described for holdng loose sheets ina stack, thecombination of a cover member rotatable in the container,and upon which the sheets are adapted to be folded back, supportingmeans carried by the container for the cover member, and means carriedby the container for clamping the sheets to the cover member, actuatedinto and out of operation by relative movement of the cover member andsupport.

14. 'Ihe structure of claim 13 wherein the supporting means is in theform of two links having a. lost motion connection with both thecontainer and the cover member and the clamping means includes atransverse rod carried by free ends of the links and between which andthe cover member the sheets are held.

HAROLD L. DE L'ISLE.

